Recently, there is known electronic equipment, for example, a mobile phone having a mechanism for sliding the mobile phone while rotating.
FIGS. 1 to 4 show an outside appearance of a mobile phone having a mechanism for making a sliding motion while making a rotating motion. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a display unit in a standing state. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the display unit in a leftward-fallen state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the display unit in a rightward-fallen state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state that the display unit is closed on a main body unit.
A mobile phone 10 has a main body unit 20, a support unit 30 openably and closably attached to the main body unit 20 through a hinge 31, and a display unit 40 rotatably and slidably supported by the support unit 30.
The main body unit 20 has a number of keys 21 disposed thereon. The support unit 30 has a first camera 32 and a second camera 33. The display unit 40 has a main screen 41 and a sub screen 42. The mobile phone 10 can be opened and closed between an open state shown in FIG. 1 and a closed state shown in FIG. 4. The display unit 40 is rotated between a standing state shown in FIG. 1, a leftward-fallen state shown in FIG. 2, and a rightward-fallen state shown in FIG. 3 and can maintain a stable attitude in these three states.
The mobile phone 10 can transmit and receive a phone call and an electronic mail using radio communication. The mobile phone 10 has a function for receiving an image of a digital television broadcast. Since a television image can be seen easily in a state that the main screen 41 is fallen laterally, the mobile phone 10 has a structure capable of falling the display unit 40 laterally.
Incidentally, the display unit 40 of the mobile phone 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 can operate only a rotating motion with respect to the support unit 30, cannot be shifted from the standing state shown in FIG. 1 to the leftward-fallen state shown in FIG. 2. In this case, when the display unit 40 intends to fall the display unit 40 leftward as shown in FIG. 2 from the standing state shown in, for example, FIG. 1, a lower edge left corner 43 of the display unit 40 interferes with a base portion 34 of the support unit 30 for supporting a lower edge of the display unit 40. To cope with this problem, the display unit 40 has a mechanism that can rotate as well as slide up and down with respect to the support unit 30. When the display unit 40 is rotated leftward to shift from the standing state as shown in FIG. 1 to the leftward-fallen state as shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 40 rotates while sliding upward until half way due to the interference of the lower edge left corner 43 of the display unit 40 with the base portion 34 of the support unit 30. Then, the display unit 40 is rotated while sliding downward from half way by being urged by an urging member (not shown) and is placed in the leftward-fallen state shown in FIG. 2. This is also the same when the display unit 40 is shifted from the leftward-fallen state as shown in FIG. 2 to the standing state as shown in FIG. 1. Further, when the display unit 40 is rotated between the standing state as shown in FIG. 1 and the rightward-fallen state as shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 40 slides while rotating similarly except that a lower edge right corner 44 of the display unit 40 interferes with the base portion 34 of the support unit 30.
As a recent trend, a waterproof function is desired in a mobile phone, and a mobile phone having a waterproof function is also known. However, a mobile phone with a waterproof function, which slides while rotating, is not yet known.
As described above, there is not conventionally known electronic equipment, which is characterized in a mechanism for sliding the electronic equipment while rotating and in which a hinge module has a waterproof and dustproof performance. There are an oil seal of a hydraulic piston, a seal around a rotary shaft, and the like as a similar structure. However, these mechanisms move only in one linear direction in the piston or only rotate in one circumferential direction in the rotary shaft. Although there is also a mechanism for making a reciprocating motion in the direction of a rotary shaft while being rotated, a seal member in this case is compressed only in the radial direction of the shaft. Further, many of these structures have a large size and are not suitable for compact electronic equipment.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-292280 discloses a waterproof structure in mobile electronic equipment. However, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-292280 discloses a structure for making only a rotational motion and does not disclose a mechanism for making a sliding motion.